One MotoGP rookie sees “no good points” but he isn't concerned

Trackhouse MotoGP rookie Ai Ogura says “there were no good points, only challenges” in the first half of his maiden campaign but doesn’t see this as a problem.

The Japanese rider was a surprise MotoGP signing by satellite Aprilia squad Trackhouse midway through last year prior to his winning the Moto2 title.

Ai Ogura made an impressive start to the year, finishing fifth at the Thai Grand Prix and cracking the top 10 three times more inside the first six rounds.

But since then, Ogura’s results have declined, with just one top 10 to his credit following the French Grand Prix.

Injury at the British Grand Prix forced him to sit for two rounds, which stunted his progress.

Ai Ogura has endured a tough MotoGP season

Speaking after receiving a sporting award in his native Japan, as reported by Autosport Web, Ogura gave a harsh assessment of his season so far.

“There were no good points, only challenges,” he said.

“In the first two or three races, I didn’t fully understand the bike in a positive sense, and pushing it to its limits worked in my favour.

“From there, my understanding deepened, and I started to see aspects I shouldn’t have noticed.

“Compared to the early races, my results haven’t been as strong, but I understand that progress must be made step by step to move upwards.

“So, I’m not overly concerned.”

Ogura noted that Trackhouse, particularly team boss Davide Brivio, has put no pressure on him to perform this year and urged him to not pay attention to results.

“[Brivio told me to] don’t worry about the results this year,” he said.

“The team is taking care to ensure I don’t ride under pressure, and I’m just doing what I can.”

After the first 12 rounds, Ogura is 16th in the standings with 51 points and trails leading rookie Fermin Aldeguer by 46 ahead of next weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.